Listen to officials and get prepared now

Friday

Federal Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and the governors of Mississippi and Alabama warned coastal residents that they should be prepared for hurricane season.

Although that seems like a statement of the obvious to many of us, others donít appear to have gotten the message.

Recent polls have shown that a disturbingly large number of people who live along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. donít even think they are vulnerable to the effects of hurricanes and the tornadoes that come with them.

The only way we can explain this is that people have decided to ignore the facts in favor of feeling comfortable.

After all, who could have already forgotten 2005ís twin ravages of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Those storms clearly showed that even hurricanes that veer away from us can deliver water high enough to flood thousands of homes.

Clearly, a more direct hit would have given us the kind of devastation Katrina took to the Mississippi coast and Rita took to the coast of western Louisiana.

But still there are people who ignore the possibilities of destruction.

While that might make living here more comfortable, it will be a disservice when a storm does come.

The key to survival is being prepared for the damage and danger that storms can bring.

Weíre not saying that everyone should live in fear and cower in the closet each time a storm forms in the Atlantic. But there is no reason for residents along the Gulf Coast in particular to think they are immune to hurricanes.

So Chertoff might have been preaching to the choir when he advocated preparedness, when he cautioned everyone along the coast to be ready for the worst.

But polls and behavior have shown us that too few will follow his advice.

Federal assurances that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other disaster-response agencies are now better prepared than they were in 2005 do little to comfort us.

Instead, we should all know that we must remain aware of the real dangers we face.

We cannot do that if we are hiding our heads in the sand and pretending we are invincible.

We hope some people heard Chertoff. Unfortunately, we fear, only those who had already gotten the message listened this time.

Editorials represent the opinion of The Courier and Daily Comet and not of any one individual. Questions or comments concerning editorials may be addressed to the Editor, P.O. Box 2717, Houma, LA 70361 or e-mail at: news@houmatoday.com.

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